Last updated: September 2026

This privacy policy explains how I collect and use personal information when you visit this website, contact me, or enquire about or engage my services.

Who I am

This website is operated by Dr Gemma Wheeler BDS (Hons), trading as Dr Gemma Wheeler BDS (Hons) Health Communications.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the data controller for personal information I collect through this website and in connection with my health communications and consultancy work.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how your personal information is used, you can contact me via gemma@drgemmawheeler.co.uk

Information collected when you visit this website

This website is hosted by Squarespace. When you visit the website, Squarespace may collect information including:

• information about your browser, network, and device

• your IP address

• webpages you visited before coming to this website

• pages you view while using this website.

Squarespace uses this information to provide, protect, and improve its platform and services.

You can find more information about how Squarespace processes personal information in the Squarespace Privacy Policy.

Website analytics

This website may collect information to help me understand how visitors use the site. This may include:

• information about your browser, network, and device

• your IP address

• pages visited

• clicks and internal links

• scrolling

• searches

• timestamps.

This information is provided to Squarespace, which provides website hosting and analytics services.

Where analytics involves the use of non-essential cookies or similar technologies, these are managed through the website's cookie settings. More information is available in my Cookie Policy.

Information you provide to me

If you contact me through the website, by email, or in connection with a potential project, I may collect information such as:

• your name

• your email address

• your organisation or business details

• information about your enquiry or proposed project

• any other information you choose to provide.

If we subsequently work together, I may also collect information necessary to discuss, agree, administer, and deliver the work. This may include contact details, project information, contractual information, and information required for invoicing and business administration.

Please do not provide confidential patient information or identifiable patient health information through the website contact form.

How I use your information

I may use your personal information to:

• respond to enquiries

• discuss potential projects and services

• prepare proposals, quotations, or agreements

• provide agreed services

• communicate with clients during a project

• manage invoices and business records

• operate, maintain, and understand the use of this website

• comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, or professional obligations where applicable.

Lawful bases for processing

Under UK data protection law, I need a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, I may process your information because:

• Contract: processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you.

• Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of operating and developing my business, responding to relevant enquiries, communicating with clients, and maintaining the security and effectiveness of this website, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

• Legal obligation: processing is necessary for me to comply with a legal obligation.

Where I rely on legitimate interests, I consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate and whether your interests, rights, or freedoms override those interests.

A note about health and other sensitive information

My website and contact form are intended for professional and business enquiries. They are not intended for the provision of dental care or for submitting patient information.

Please do not send identifiable patient information, medical records, or other special category personal data through the website contact form.

If a project requires the processing of special category or other sensitive information, the appropriate arrangements for handling that information will be agreed separately before it is shared.

Sharing your information

I do not sell your personal information.

I may share personal information with service providers where necessary to operate my website or business. These may include website hosting, email, cloud storage, accounting, or other professional service providers.

Squarespace provides the hosting and website services used by this site. Where third-party service providers process personal information on my behalf, I take appropriate steps to use services that provide suitable data protection safeguards.

I may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights.

International data transfers

Some of the service providers I use may process personal information outside the UK.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, I rely on the safeguards required under applicable UK data protection law, where necessary. Further information about the safeguards used by individual service providers is available through their respective privacy information.

How long I keep your information

I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including where information needs to be retained for legal, accounting, contractual, or professional purposes.

The appropriate retention period will depend on the nature of the information and my relationship with you.

Enquiries that do not lead to work will not be retained indefinitely. Information relating to completed client work may be retained for longer where necessary for business records, contractual matters, tax, or legal obligations.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights in relation to your personal information, including the right to:

• request access to your personal information

• ask for inaccurate information to be corrected

• ask for your information to be erased in certain circumstances

• ask for processing to be restricted in certain circumstances

• object to certain processing

• request transfer of your information in certain circumstances.

These rights are not absolute and may depend on the lawful basis on which your information is being processed.

Where I process your personal information on the basis of legitimate interests, you have the right to object to that processing in certain circumstances.

To exercise your rights or ask a question about your personal information, contact me at gemma@drgemmawheeler.co.uk

Complaints

If you have concerns about how I use your personal information, please contact me in the first instance so that I can try to resolve them.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.

Information Commissioner's Office

Third-party websites

This website contains links to external websites, including professional organisations, previous workplaces, published work, and social media platforms.

I am not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. If you follow an external link, the privacy policy of that website will apply to information collected by that organisation.

Changes to this policy

I may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes to this website, my services, or applicable data protection requirements. The date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last updated.